Queen Anne's Revenge Conservation Lab

The Queen Anne's Revenge's origins, much like its Captain's, Blackbeard, stretch into an obscurity beyond the historical record.

We do know that the story of Blackbeard's flagship began long before it fell into the famed pirate's clutches. In fact, Blackbeard's captaincy of the QAR likely constituted only a small portion of the vessel's seafaring years. Before Blackbeard, it belonged to a wealthy French merchant, trafficking human cargo across the Atlantic on the notorious "Middle Passage." After 1718, it belonged, for a time, to the ocean alone.

Since its discovery near the Beaufort inlet in 1996, the remains of the vessel have become the property of the people of North Carolina, under the stewardship of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

To commemorate the 300th anniversary of Blackbeard's notorious adventures along the North Carolina Coast -- the place where he was ultimately brought to justice -- we're showcasing traveling exhibits with artifacts from his wrecked flagship, unveiling a new State Highway Historical Marker at Fort Macon State Park, and hosting an array of exciting educational experiences for North Carolinians of all ages.